SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The #20 Union College men's team earned their first national ranking since January 7, 2019 in the latest USA Hockey/The Rink Live Men's College Hockey Poll, the organization announced on Monday afternoon.

Union is off to a 6-1-0 start this season for the month of October. The Garnet Chargers only loss was to Boston University, who has been nationally ranked all season.

Union is averaging 4.0 goals per game and is out-shooting opponents by almost 10 shots per game. The powerplay is converting 21.9 percent with seven goals in 32 opportunities.

The Garnet Chargers are one of the best teams on the faceoff this year and currently rank third in the country with a 56.9 percent win rate. Junior Parker Lindauer and first-year Drew Sutton have 66 wins each to lead the team.

The Union offense is led by first-year Ben Muthersbaugh. The rookie has 13 points (6-7-13) in seven games. Just last week, he was named the ECAC Hockey #Bitcoin Rookie of the Week, the ECAC Hockey #Bitcoin Rookie of the Month, the ECAC Hockey Forward of the Month, presented by Bluebird Hotels, and the Hockey Commissioners Association National Rookie of the Month.

Junior John Prokop leads the defensive efforts for Union with six points (3-3-6) in seven games, a +11 rating, and seven blocked shots. Prokop has already been honored once this season as the ECAC Hockey Defender of the Week and was the conference's Defender of the Month for October. Union is holding the opposition to 2.7 goals per game and the team has blocked 75 shots so far in the young season.

Union is also receiving votes in the USCHO poll.

The team is back in action this weekend with a two-game series against the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Puck drop for game one is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Friday at Messa Rink.